Southern Ocean XBT Temperature Profiles from RV Italica 1996

Water temperature profiles were collected using Sippican T7 Expendable Bathythermographs from the research vessel Italica during a 1996 cruise between New Zealand and the Ross Sea. The dataset captures the thermal structure of the upper Southern Ocean with a vertical resolution of 65 cm to a depth of 760 m, sampled at 20 nautical mile intervals across Antarctic Circumpolar Current fronts. Data collection was part of the Italian CLIMA project under the National Antarctic Research Programme (PNRA) and has undergone quality control for consistency and spike removal.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure and frontal zones of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current using vertically resolved temperature data.
• Calibrating or validating regional oceanographic models with in-situ temperature profiles from a specific time period.
• Studying short-term synoptic variability in the upper ocean heat content along a transect in the Southwest Pacific and Southern Ocean.
• Investigating the performance and data characteristics of Sippican T7 XBT probes in polar and subpolar waters.

Strengths

• High vertical resolution of 65 cm for detailed temperature profiling.
• Quality controlled for consistency between adjacent profiles and through spike editing.
• Provides a synoptic picture from transects completed in about 6 days.

Limitations

• Conflicting last updated dates: 1996-02-18 vs 2026-03-05, suggesting possible metadata errors.
• Specific row count, total file size, and exact column names are unknown across all sources.
• Temporal coverage is limited to a single cruise from January to February 1996.

Provenance

Source

Italian National Antarctic Research Programme (PNRA) CLIMA project, collected from RV Italica.

Collection Method

Sippican T7 Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT) probes deployed during an oceanographic cruise.

Time Range

1996-01-07 to 1996-02-18

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:31:25.199109

Geography

Southern Ocean and Southwest Pacific Ocean, transect between New Zealand and the Ross Sea.